Denmark's Sacrifice
by whimsical-wily-wandering-wind
Summary: Denmark has calmed down from fighting all those wars and decided to stop for good. He thinks that everything is peaceful but Germany has other plans. The Dane is suddenly left with two choices: Fight in vain or stand under Germany's banner. His safety or his pride, which is more important? Set in the time of WW2 with Nazi Germany.


**This is, as you had seen on the description, about Denmark during World War 2. There will be a lot of time skips and historical references here. Beware of miniature history lesson at the end, because I did go through research before I wrote this.**

**Else is the nickname of the Oc, Isabella.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

* * *

The man held a pen in one hand and paper in the other. His bright, blue eyes stared blankly at the equally blank page. He let out a sigh before placing the paper and pen onto the bench he was sitting on before running a hand through his unkempt, blond hair. However, he smiled and looked up at the clear blue sky, the sun granting a blessing to this peaceful morning.

"Oh well, I can always write Berwald's letter later." He said to himself.

"Mathias!" He looked to see a little girl with blond hair waving at him. She was holding her mother's hand, who gave a friendly smile. The man waved back towards the girl and got up from his seat, putting away his blank letter and pen into his coat pocket. He then made his way towards them.

"Hey Else," Mathias said, kneeling down to her level and messing up her hair. "Whatcha doin'?"

"I wanted to come see you." She replied, giggling. Tilting her head, the girl pointed at the paper sticking out of his pocket. "What are you writing?"

"Oh, I was just wanted to write a letter to my brother. I don't know what to write yet, but I'll finish it later. What do you want to do today?"

"Tag! Tag! You're it! You can't catch me!" Else ran as fast as her little legs could carry her as Mathias chuckled.

"Isabella, don't run too far ahead!" Her mother shouted.

"Don't worry, I'll look after. She'll be safe with me." Mathias said before running after the girl. Isabella was waiting for him before running again, laughing.

Mathias Kohler, or formally and secretly known as Denmark, enjoyed the life he lived. After all those years of wars and fighting, it was a nice change of pace. Peace was nice, and it wasn't as bad or boring as he thought it would be. It was nice to wake up to the sound of bustling people and watch people go about their daily lives instead of worrying about the next enemy's attack.

Though he didn't age as fast as regular humans did, it did hurt to watch people age around him. However, he couldn't help but talk to people. It just wasn't him to stay away from people besides his boss, and he did get bored of talking to government officials all day. There's more to life than just politics and more boring politics.

Mathias had stumbled upon this girl in Copenhagen two years ago, crying her eyes out for her mother. He helped her out and they kept on bumping into each other ever since. Eventually, he came to love the little girl who would always want to play with him.

In a way, it reminded him of his other siblings: Berwald, Lukas, and Emil. He couldn't help but wonder what Berwald was doing. It had been such a long time since they spoke face to face on peaceful terms; their last encounter was pledging neutrality. He also missed Lukas and Emil as well. Lukas was going off to live with Berwald the last time he saw him and Emil, their youngest brother, lived under his rule. He lived much farther than the other two, though, out on an island in the middle of the ocean. In fact, Berwald and Lukas were only kilometers away from him, each in another country.

"Gotcha!" He caught Isabella and began to tickle her. She let out a squeal before bursting into laughter, wriggling around on the grass. When Mathias finally stopped, he sat on the ground with a wide smile on his face. Isabella sat up and leaned on him. She pouted.

"What's the matter, Else?"

"I have school tomorrow." Isabella said, hugging his arm. "And I'm going to see my friend…"

"That sounds nice."

"But there is a big kid in school who keeps bothering us. He keeps making fun of us and pushing us around." Mathias looked at the little girl, blinking. "He said that he would hurt us if we told our teacher."

He tussled her hair and sat her in his lap. "Don't worry about it kiddo. Just ignore him and know that whatever he says isn't true. If he pushes ya, push him back."

"But he said he would really hurt us."

"Ya gotta stand up to him, Else. He'll keep bothering ya if ya don't." Mathias said, "Don't let him pick on ya like that. You're a good kid. Speak up and don't let him get ya down. Eventually, he'll stop botherin' ya and learn his lesson."

"Really?" Isabella perked up. She gazed up at him with her own blue eyes.

"Yup." Mathias replied, smiling. Her anxious frown turned into a smile full of sunshine as her worries drifted away. He couldn't get over how cute she was when she was happy.

He looked up at the sky, his eyes gazing off into space. Isabella began chattering as she sat in his lap, pointing at the clouds forming in the sky. They sat there for a while, watching the fluffy, white animals roaming the vast, blue sky above. This is the peace he wished that would last forever.

* * *

Seven years passed, and Mathias began to find the world getting ready for war. Of course, Mathias was for neutrality, as were Lukas and Berwald. The three of them had officially declared it; it seemed like Germany had other plans for him and Lukas though.

It was like any morning. Mathias was just heading to work. There had been news that there were Germans heading into Denmark, but he wasn't worried. Their country was neutral so Germany wouldn't do that, right? He did respect his personal space around the last World War so he was probably going to leave him alone. Especially since they signed the pact a while ago so they should be okay.

A loud hum filled the air, causing the Dane to look up. His eyes widened at the sight of planes flying over the city, German bomber planes. Soon, papers came fluttering down from the sky and drifted to the ground like leaves on an autumn day. Mathias picked up one of the leaflets and read it.

What was this talking about? Accept German occupation over Denmark? Why would Britain try to invade him? They were trading pals, and he didn't have any quarrels with France. Was Germany playing some kind of joke? Mathias didn't know what was up, but he wasn't going to allow Germany just tell him what to do at this last minutes notice.

However, when the Germans attacked, it came in an overwhelming force. It made him boil on the inside that Germany would do this. He had come and killed a few people in this so called "peace". It was outrageous and insulting that Germany would think that he would be stupid enough to believe he was doing this in the name of peace. The leaflet he could careless, but threatening to bomb his cities pissed him off the most. Unfortunately, they were forced to surrender to the incoming forces within two hours without much damage done to the cities.

At their arrival in the conference room, Mathias felt the rage inside him grow as he caught sight of Ludwig. There he was, waltzing in with his boss as he probably would on a normal day. Today was anything but normal

In contrast to Mathias' appearance, who wore whatever he thought was comfortable and left his hair the way it was, which slightly gravitated away from his head, Germany had slicked his blond hair back like always. His uniform was free of any wrinkles or dirt and he wore a weird symbol on an arm band. It was some weird looking cross.

As soon as Germany greeted him, Mathias couldn't help but begin asking him questions. At that point, Ludwig had struck a deal that if Denmark assisted Germany, then they would preserve the peace between them. The Dane was soon taken outside to speak with one of the government officials when he refused.

"Mathias, calm down-."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Mathias snapped, already angry with Germany's proposals. "Who the hell does he think he is? I don't take orders from anyone but myself!"

"Please, think about it." The man pleaded, "We're outmanned and outgunned. If we don't agree to their terms, we'll surely risk thousands of people's lives. We can't win against them; maybe we can negotiate and figure something out peacefully."

Mathias hated it, he hated how he had to agree to these terms. He was Denmark, the King of Northern Europe, and he had fought many wars no matter what the conditions were. This would surely make him look bad to the other countries. Mathias would rather assist Britain than let Germany boss him around. However, there was no other choice and the man was right. The damn Germans could turn the city into a pile of rubble if they wanted to. If that happened, Denmark would pay a heavy price.

"Vell, Mathias?" Ludwig asked, as the Dane approached. Mathias came back into the room quietly. He stared at the German as the man continued to speak. "Do ve have an agreement?"

No. Mathias wanted to spit the word in the German's face. In the periphery of his vision, the Dane could see the grave look on his boss' face. He felt the word clog his throat and began to suffocate him. However, despite the fury boiling in his blood, he smiled.

"Ja." He answered cheerfully. Mathias felt every fiber in his body wanting, wishing, to take back his answer. His mind was cursing him for betraying himself, for letting his tail fall between his legs.

Ludwig nodded and held out his hand. Mathias looked into the German's cold eyes. Something wasn't right; it bothered him to no end but what choice did he have. He had to do what was the best in order to protect his people. Even if he did fight back, he couldn't win, just like the man told him. Mathias repeated these ideas inside his head, restraining himself from punching Ludwig in the face. He wanted to give him a piece of his mind.

He grasped his hand and shook it; he kept the smile on his face as Ludwig bade him farewell. Once the he left, Mathias stared at the hand he used to shake Ludwig's. It had sealed the deal, agreed to this agreement he didn't even want. It wasn't like him, yet he had to. Mathias felt like a stranger in his own body.

What was he doing? Why was he doing this? He was the king of Northern Europe so... Why?

What was he becoming?

* * *

"So Luddie, how do ya like it here in Copenhagen?" Mathias asked, taking a gulp from his bottle of alcohol.

A year had passed and he had decided to take Ludwig to his home. He was hoping that it would keep the German on his good side and exclude him from the war. They were okay as friends, but not by much, though Denmark couldn't shake an uneasy feeling that would send a chill down his spine. What Mathias didn't like was that he wasn't allowed to trade with England anymore and he had to send food to Germany and only trade with Germany. Thank goodness his king was still here or else he swore that he would lose his head.

"It's a nice place for the Aryans." Ludwig replied calmly, nodding his head.

"Aryans? Is that like a type of bird or something?" Mathias asked bluntly. He was absolutely clueless on what the German could be talking about. Was that related to air? Or Aerie? It sounded like a flight or bird term to him. Ludwig narrowed his eyes at him but sighed. Did he say something wrong?

"I forgot that you don't know vhat the Aryans are." Ludwig replied, and sat up. "I could go into details but I vill keep it brief. People like us are the master race, Aryan race, are supreme over the other races."

"Master race? But I'm Danish, and your German." Mathias said before smiling. "You must have gotten your facts mixed up. That's why I'm Denmark and your Germany. I'm not like you, maybe we're like distant cousins or something, but I'm related to Norge and Swede."

"Nein, ve are like brothers. Ve have blond hair, blue eyes and vhite skin! Ve are above those who aren't." Ludwig suddenly scowled. Mathias didn't like the way his blue eyes suddenly darkened as he gripped his own beer bottle tightly. "Like those filthy Jews."

He had no idea what Ludwig was talking about. This whole idea of Aryan race sounded really silly to him. Mathias had been at war for so many years and what he learned from all those losses was that those who were superior knew they were doing, and they knew how to best their opponents. There was no blond hair and blue eyes made him better; it almost sounded like a child made it up. Mathias, though, held back his opinion.

"Ludwig, Judaism is a religion." Mathias replied instead, continuing on with this Aryan idea.

"They're bad news. They should be found and be removed before they taint the blood of the Aryan race." Ludwig continued, successfully shattering the beer bottle in his hand. "You should be careful and keep an eye over them."

Mathias gave him a puzzled look. "Remove them? But they're Danes like me. Why would I want to hurt my own people? That's like wanting to hurt myself, and I don't want to do that." The German slammed his fist on the table. Mathias blinked as Ludwig closed his eyes and began to calm down.

"You are a dummkopf. I vish I could personally teach you, but I have more important things to take care of right now." Ludwig stood and began to leave the room. Before he did, he turned his head back to the other nation. "You should make all the Jews vear the star of David so ve know they von't try to frame anyone else for their crimes."

Mathias stayed silent for a moment before smiling. "I'll talk about it with my boss, ya know? I'll tell you my answer later."

Once he left, Mathias left his house. He really needed a beer, especially after all this Aryan bullshit.

Two years passed and things continued to stayed normal. Mathias had to endure Ludwig's constant ordering and demands to change his laws during those years. Sometimes he would comply, but other times he would tell him that he would "think" about his proposals or refuse it entirely. Of course, even though his people lived in peace, Mathias' mind was plagued with doubt and humiliation.

Apart of him didn't want to commit his time into something that he knew wouldn't win, yet... the other part wanted to rebel against Germany. He never had this problem, but now he felt unsure for the first time in his life. Should he fight back? Should he take the risk? Would it even do anything? Would it even matter?

"Mathias, quit moping around and pull yourself together!" Isabella had shouted. She had grown up to be a rebellious teenager, but that's what made it all memorable. It was only a few weeks after Ludwig's first visit. Isabella had grown up considerably and he started to see her less and less. However, she did visit him from time to time. "Don't let that German skiderik push you around!"

"I shouldn't do that… and he's not so bad." The nation lied, slipping on his poker face. He smiled at her as he leaned on the counter, as if he didn't have any troubles in the world. She was the only one, besides his boss, that knew he was a country. Well, that was because she noticed he wasn't aging for the most part. "We still get to go on with our lives and-."

_Smack!_

Mathias felt her hand connect to his cheek. His head moved slightly from the force. His cheek stung from the strike, sending a signal to his brain. Man, she really wasn't holding back on him.

"Everything is not normal! We hate the damn Germans and they don't belong here!" She screamed. "Why should we accept their presence here? There are people fighting for you, Denmark. I'm fighting for you. We can't just let these skiderik push us down!"

"It's safer this way-."

"Kæft! The Denmark I know would never back down, he would never let these foreign skiderik order him! He's not a wimp or weakling that would give in!" Isabella began to break into tears. Mathias stared at her in shock."You told me to stand up for myself, not to let anyone force me down. You told me this and you always said fight for what's right, never to give in. Now you're just complying to what they say."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Else... Don't be silly. I'm the same old me-."

"Tell me!" She cried, gripping the front of his coat. "What happened? Where is he? Where is the stubborn, courageous idiot? What have you done to him?" Isabella stared into his eyes only to have him look away. She leaned onto his chest as she continued to sob. Mathias pulled her into his embrace. He stayed quiet as he listened. "I can't take it anymore... It's not like you... I hate it. Why are you letting him shove you around? What happened to you?"

After that, Mathias decided to prove to the rest of the world and to England that he wasn't "Hitler's pet canary". He wasn't willing for Ludwig to expect him to stay down in the dirt when the German shoved him. No, he was going to pick himself right back up and knock the damn German's teeth out. Once Russia began to drive Germany back, it strengthened his resolve to finally resist. Mathias began to annoy him, showing that his patience and tolerance for Ludwig was slowly burning out. However, he wasn't the only one whose patience and tolerance was running low.

1943 was the final year the either of them would hold in their anger and frustration. Mathias finally understood Berwald for hating him back when they lived in the Kalmar Union. With great satisfaction, he enjoyed watching the shock look on Ludwig's face when he saw the election votes; Democracy had won by a landslide, leaving the Nazi party behind in the dust. Their real dispute came later in the year.

"Put a death penalty on those saboteurs," Ludwig growled. Mathias narrowed his eyes at him. "I want to take care of these traitors. I've had enough of these strikes and insubordination from your citizens. Take more responsibility in controlling your people, Denmark, and stop protecting the Jews! Ve're brothers in arm and ve should be vorking together, not vorking against each other!"

Finally, the Dane allowed all of his anger to come out, the people's anger. He stood up and grabbed Ludwig's collar.

"Let me get three things straight, Germany. One, nobody tells me how I should treat my people! Second, I am not your brother; Norge and Swede are my real brothers. And third, if you want me to cooperate-." His blue eyes pierced Ludwig's skull. He allowed a defiant smile to form on his lips. "You're gonna have to make me."

Mathias dragged Ludwig to the door before throwing him out of his house. He ignored the angry Ludwig as he began to shout profanities in German, slamming the door shut; it made him pretty content actually.

He ran into his room and quickly pulled the sheet of paper and pen from his pocket. The blank sheet of paper was slightly crinkled but he smoothed it out onto the table before writing on the paper. Once he finished writing, Mathias sealed the letter in an envelope and mailed it.

Hopefully, it would make it to Sweden before the Germans would seize control over the country.

* * *

A blond man sat at home, reading a book. His short blond hair glowed gently from the illumination the fireplace gave off as he sat in his comfortable chair. His blue eyes peered behind his square glasses, slowly moving to the left before flicking back to the right, rinse and repeat. There was a knock at the door, causing the man to look up.

"Come in." He grunted in his thick accent. A man opened the door.

"You've received a letter from a man name Mathias Kohler."

He took the letter from the man. What could Mathias be doing now? He had already sent ships to his harbors, much to his confusion, which was nice but what did Mathias need to tell him that needed to be mailed? He opened the letter and began to read it.

_To Sweden,_

_What's up? I've wanted to write to you for a while, but I never got the time. I hope you're well and I hear the Allies are kicking Germany's ass out on the battlefield. Just thinking about the battlefield reminds me of the good old days when we used to fight each other in wars, right?_

_Anyways, I'm stuck here. I'm finally sick of Germany and I'm not going to be his "pet canary", as England likes to call me. I know you're probably thinking of that. I've been resisting his demands more lately and, you know what? I'm feeling better than I was since I started working with him. I've been letting strikes go on for months now and the sabotages are getting worse as the time goes by, which is good for me. Today, I recently told him off and kicked him out of my house._

_I know that things are probably going to get worse now that I've refused his request. I also know that they'll probably start trying to maintain order here, so keep helping the Allies out. I'll be helping out here by distracting the Germans and cutting off their supplies. I hope I'll get to see you when the Germans are defeated._

_Your bro,_

_Denmark_

_P.S_

_Happy early birthday, Swede! Make good use of those ships for me!_

Berwald sighed and shook his head. As much as he thought that Mathias was an idiot at times, Berwald still cared about him. He could only pray that he would be alright.

* * *

Mathias stumbled into the cell he was brought to. He spat a wad of blood onto the cell floor. Coughing, he leaned onto the wall and panted. His lungs begged for air as he took gulps, his body screaming in pain. Mathias had another coughing fit, gripping his chest before he fell to his knees. He felt something in his stomach back up and travel up his throat before vomiting onto the ground. He took a deep breath and swallowed. Mathias could still feel the burning sensation and wretched, sour taste in his throat. He sat up on the wall.

He was tired. Mathias wasn't seriously injured, but his health had dropped a bit once he was dragged to the jail. The German soldiers had beat him as they tried to restrain him, preventing him from retaliating. However, he wasn't afraid of being beaten by Ludwig. He didn't care that he was being punished for saving the Jews; he was proud that he could take his fellow Danes to safety. Mathias wasn't going to give up, especially what they had done to his people.

Murdering them just to take revenge, damn those bastards. He couldn't forget how hard the Danish Resistance fought one day. It was when the entire city went on strike and the Germans had cut off the water and electricity from the city. They had built a blockade and the soldiers marched into the city. Many people had been wounded and a few were killed. Unfortunately, Isabella was one of the casualties. She was dead.

It pained him, seeing her gasp and cry in pain. In one moment they were firing back at the soldiers, then the next is Isabella dropping her gun and gripping her chest. Mathias had dropped his gun and quickly carried her out of the way, but what good would it do her? The damage had already been done.

Mathias could see the life going out of her eyes as she gave a weak smile as her own blood stained her clothes. There had been so many emotions that he could see in her eyes: agony, sadness, fear. He wished that he could help her in anyway, to take away all the pain and fear; all he could do was grasp her hand and try to make her as comfortable as possible in her final minutes.

Yet, he saw... happiness as well.

"I'm glad... to see you are... your old self again."

Those were the last words she said, those bittersweet words in that last moment. They were only words, but they had reached out and touched his heart, shaking him to the very core.

He could still taste his salty tears as the chaos continued, but he ignored it. Mathias would never hear her laughter again. He would never see her tears of sadness, her beautiful smile, or her determined eyes that never stopped sparkling; they never lost their shine until now. Isabella was the daughter he would have had, if he was human and not a nation.

His hands curled into fists.

Ludwig thought he could wear him down, but Mathias will keep taking the beatings.

He will not stay down. No matter how brutal or how bad it gets, Denmark shall keep on fighting till they leave. He would fight, not only for himself, but for his people, for the living and the dead, for those who were Jewish and non-Jewish. And for Isabella. Else...

"Ready to give in?" Mathias looked up at Ludwig. The German's cold blue eyes waited for an agreement. He got up, staggering to his feet.

"You want my answer?" Mathias' eyes flashed dangerously. "This is my answer!"

The Dane slammed his fist into Ludwig's jaw. His opponent staggered, leaving an opening for Mathias. Adrenaline flooded through his veins as he mercilessly threw punches at his opponent. He took his chance and slammed his fist into the German's chest, feeling something crack on impact. He brought his fist back again before sending his fist into Ludwig's stomach and eye.

There was a shout before two German soldiers came to assist Ludwig. They grabbed Mathias, who managed to knock them away, before Ludwig pulled him into a head lock. He barked something in German, causing the two men to strike the Dane repeatedly. Each blow hammered against him, sending each vibration, each sound of a bell that deafened his senses. Mathias continued to struggle until he felt his legs give out underneath him.

Finally, Ludwig tossed their human punching bag to the side before slamming the cell door. Mathias panted and smiled weakly as he watched Ludwig grip his chest. It gave him satisfaction as he listened to the heavy footsteps exit and the door of the jail close with a loud bang.

* * *

Mathias sat on the cold cell floor inside his lonely, murky cell. His once bright, blond hair had faded into a pale yellow. Dried blood stained his unusually pale face, which had been drained from exhaustion. He breathed softly but occasionally turned into a coughing fit, clutching his chest as pain shot through him. His clothes were wrinkled, torn, and bloodied from the numerous beatings; there were so many that he couldn't even remember how much.

He didn't know how long he had been there either. Mathias had heard news that countries were slowly being freed from Germany's control. He hadn't heard if Norway had been freed yet, though he hoped that Norge was alright.

There was a hollow creak. The metal door slammed shut and there was a shout. Mathias grunted, pushing himself up as he leaned against the wall for support.

So Ludwig was back for more; he'll give the German what he wanted.

Instead of seeing the professional German general, an English soldier came in front of his cell and shouted. Mathias blinked as another man came in front of his cell. The Englishman had thick eyebrows and blond hair. His green eyes widened slightly before gripping the bars.

"Mathias, we're going to get you out of here."

"Hey Arthur…" Mathias replied tiredly, his voice carrying a light, cheery tone. He smiled as the Englishman unlocked the cell, slinging Mathias' arm over his shoulder before helping him out. "Long time no see."

"You look like you've been through a lot." Arthur remarked.

Mathias gave a weak laugh. "It wasn't that serious."

The two finally made it out into the light. For a moment, the sunlight nearly blinded Mathias but his eyes adjusted.

"So, am I still 'Hitler's pet canary'?" Mathias asked, giving a weak laugh.

"About that..." Arthur replied, looking a little embarrassed. The Englishman didn't even bother to look at him as he stared ahead. His frown deepened as he spoke. "I take it back… We were wrong about you and we're glad you helped us out. Good work."

"Thanks…" Mathias felt a little relief and pride swelling in his chest. They finally arrived at the back of a truck and England took his leave. The Dane found a makeshift bed inside then sat down. It was so nice to bed sitting on comfortable sheets instead of the cold floor of a cell.

Well, now all Mathias could do was wait for a nurse to take care of him. He gave a smiled and laid on the makeshift bed. He heard footsteps get louder.

"Hello nurse," Mathias sat up smiling. "I'm ready to be treated."

"Shut up, Mathias."

He blinked and stared at the male with square glasses. There was a long pause before Mathias jumped.

"Wait a minute! You're not a nurse!" He shouted, pointing at Berwald.

He didn't answer. The Swedish man got into the truck and shoved him back onto the bed.

"Ow! You make a bad doctor, Swede." Mathias replied, sitting back up. He rubbed the back of his head. "Where's the nurse?"

" There is no nurse." Berwald replied, gripping his arm. "Stop moving."

"Wait, are you supposed to be my doctor?" He asked, and the man merely nodded. Mathias deflated and let out a loud sigh. "Man, I thought I was gonna get a hot chick…" Berwald punched him in the shoulder. "Ow, okay! I'm sorry."

There was silence as Berwald began to check for serious injuries.

"So," Mathias drawled, "how's Lukas?"

"Recovering."

"Oh, okay…" Mathias said, finding himself being bothered by a long silence.

"You're still reckless." Berwald replied, "and stupid."

"Heh, I'm still in one piece so I must being doing something right."

Berwald couldn't help but shake his head. He sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to worry about Mathias. He was the luckier one who managed to keep a clear head during the war, though he had been more confronting than Lukas. He was just happy they were safe, though he had seen other countries that were in much worse conditions.

Berwald finished patching him up. It was relatively quick since he didn't have many serious injuries to begin with. Mathias tested the bandages and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Swede."

"Hm." He got up and took his leave.

"Hey Berwald." The said man stopped. "Thanks for taking care of them…"

He stayed silent for a moment. It wasn't everyday that Mathias thanked him for anything. Naturally, his brother didn't need anyone to take care of him, though he was careless at times. However, He was especially concerned when Mathias agreed to assist Germany. Berwald had lived with him long ago, and he knew that Mathias would never swallow his pride to agree to being controlled. Though he wished Mathias would change, Berwald thought that maybe he was fine the way he was. After all, he wouldn't want his brother to act like Germany had during the war.

"Get better."

But Mathias was already asleep, setting down the road to recovery. From there, he could only see the light as the darkness began to melt away. The night had passed and out came a new dawn, as well as another day.

* * *

_**Years later...**_

May 5th. Today was the day.

The sun had finally set down into the horizon. The stars dotted the sky as the Dane went digging around in a few of his draws. Normally, he would go out to celebrate for a drink, but this was a different case.

"I thought I had some matches somewhere..." Mathias muttered, "It should be- here it is!" He lit a match and brought it over to light the wick of a candle. The Dane blew out the flame of the match and threw it away before bringing the candle over to the window. He gently placed the candle down onto the window sill and opened the window. "That should do it."

He sat by the window, gazing at the candle for a moment before looking out the window. From where he sat, he spotted a few candles that glowed in the distance. It looked like everyone else already lit their own candles.

Mathias leaned back in his chair before closing his eyes. So many things had happened in his lifetime, yet it almost felt like he didn't have time to remember anything at all. Time had worn away most of his memories, but he didn't forget all of them.

May 5th, 1945. That was the day when Denmark was officially liberated from German Occupation. Of course, he didn't hate Germany now, but there were some things to remember. There were many people who had fought with the Danish Resistance and there were those who had lost their lives. He just wanted to remember those who had helped him in realizing that freedom was worth fighting for.

Mathias was proud, proud that even in those dark times that there would always be a small spark that would light the darkness. Those people had tended to the spark and nurtured it into a bright, roaring flame that ate away the darkness. It was one of those moments where he was proud to be Denmark.

* * *

**Brace yourselves, because this explanation is very long.**

**Facts:**

**Denmark was a neutral country in the beginning of World War 2. Hitler had supposedly made a non-aggression pact with a few of the countries, like Norway and Denmark. However, he soon invaded Denmark to gain access to the docks in Norway to gain control of their resources in 1940.**

**The German planes did drop leaflets down on Copenhagen, telling the citizens to give up to German occupation to protect them from England and France, who were supposedly were planning to invade them. Denmark was forced to surrender because they had 1) a small army due to their neutrality, 2) their weapons were dated back to WWI, and 3) the Germans could used their planes and bomb them. The government did find out that the Germans would invade before hand but they paid no attention to it.**

**The government decided to assist Germany to stay on neutral terms. Germany planned to turn Denmark into a model of what a perfect Aryan society would be, hence they were also blond hair, blue-eyed, white skinned people. However, Denmark ultimately avoided agreeing to reducing the freedom of the Jews. They were Danish as well so they weren't willing, in addition to their king protecting the Jews. Germany left this matter alone because they didn't want to fight with their own "brothers", and the Jews seemed to be a very fragile subject that would destroy the peace. With this in mind, they allowed Denmark to govern itself so life was basically as if nothing happened, besides seeing Germany soldiers in the streets.**

**At first, there was no resistance against the Germans. Winston Churchill thought that Denmark would be "Hitler's pet canary" in the future because of the lack of resistance. However, as time went on, a resistance began to increase in size, especially after the Russians began to drive the Germans back after their failure in Operation Barbarossa. In 1943, There was a big strike (because the citizens began to rebel against the changes in the law) and Germany demanded to put a death penalty on the saboteurs, in addition to the other two things mentioned in the story. The government had resigned and the German troops went to occupy Denmark.**

**People began to sabotage German supply lines, went on strikes, the resistance fought in the streets, and underground newspapers were established. The Danes found out the Germans were going to gather up the Jews due to an information leak and managed to save most of their Jewish population before they came to take them. Denmark and Norway were the last countries to be freed from German occupation.**

* * *

**In Danish**

**skiderik = bastard  
Kæft = shut up**

**I admit, I used google translate so I'm not so certain if that's their true meaning.**

**On another note, I was searching around on the internet to find the reason Liberation day is celebrated in Denmark and I found this speech online. If you're interested, type in multinational corps northeast. Click on the sigh and search up liberation day on the search bar on the sight. The speech should be the video that comes first on the list.**

** I hoped you enjoyed it, please rate and review, and sorry about the giant blocks of information.**


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